PRATT CITY, Ala. (WIAT) — It’s been over two years since tornadoes tore through parts of Alabama and left many families and communities in rubble.

Recent reports have indicated that Pratt City, which was hit by EF-4 tornado, is being left behind on the road to recovery.

However, the neighborhood president of Pratt City, Alonzo Darrow, says that simply isn’t the case.

He says the city is on the mend, and has a message for the people in his city and the surrounding areas.

“I just want the people in Pratt City to know, and the citizens of Birmingham to know, we are on target for everything in this area,” Darrow said. “Everything we have done in Pratt City has been transparent.”

That transparency and trajectory towards recovery refers to the comprehensive plan for rebuilding plan for Pratt City.

Darrow says the visible signs of progress are all over the city.

Other residents of the city are also pleased with the progress that has been made.

“This is a good opportunity for us to get some things we’ve been wanting in Pratt City for a long time,” North Pratt City resident Clarence Ford explained. “The storm might look bad for some people, but it was a blessing in disguise from God that will be able to do some of the things we were hoping for before the storms came.

“The Senior Citizens Center is coming up, and it’s coming up good. That should entice some people who left during the storm that want to come back to Pratt City.”

And that’s the goal of the many people committed to rebuilding Pratt City, to bring the people back to something they can be proud of when it’s all completed.

Through it all, though, Darrow says there are some eyesores remaining in the city.

Some homeowners with tornado-damaged homes have not come back to Pratt City, and as such, they are not taking care of their lots.

He says when he cuts his yard he cuts the neighboring lots. Darrow advises neighbors to follow his lead or track down those homeowners to begin the process of getting the city to document a weed warning.